Najib's 1MDB trial vacated today, to resume on June 29

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial that was scheduled to resume today at the High Court here has been vacated to make way for the ongoing SRC International Sdn Bhd hearing.

This followed an application by Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to vacate the scheduled continuation of the 1MDB trial because the defence has yet to finish its oral submissions in the former prime minister's SRC International case.

"Regarding the submissions in the SRC International trial, today, we (defence) are doing the rebuttal and hopefully it will take the whole day. As such, we respectfully ask for the IMDB trial to be vacated," he told Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

The court then set June 29 for resumption of the 1MDB trial.

The prosecution is led by Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram and Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib.

When the 1MDB hearing resumes, Muhammad Shafee is expected to continue cross-examining the ninth prosecution witness, former 1MDB chief executive officer Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi.

Najib, 67, faces four charges of abusing his position to obtain gratification totalling RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same money.

At another High Court, Najib is also being tried on three charges of criminal breach of trust, one charge of abuse of position, and three charges of money laundering involving SRC International funds of RM42 million.

That case is now at the oral submissions stage at the end of the defence's case before Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali. - BERNAMA